Didn’t get enough advocacy information at the National Principals Conference? Then you’ll be happy to know that NASSP has officially announced the 2018 Advocacy Conference! This conference will offer educators the ability to speak directly with the NASSP advocacy team; the chance to hear from some of our nation’s greatest thought leaders in education; and an opportunity to meet with members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill. Best of all, registration for the conference is free!

The conference will take place March 19–21 at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA. For more information, please contact Zach Scott, NASSP’s manager of advocacy.

Also, on July 20, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the DREAM Act. This bill would provide a path to legalization for undocumented individuals who were brought to the country as children if they attend college or serve in the military for at least two years. This version also includes an additional path to citizenship for immigrants who have been employed for at least three years.

Why Should Principals Care?

The LHHS bill includes $156 billion in discretionary funding, which is $5 billion below the FY 2017 enacted level. The draft bill includes cuts to several important programs, most notably the elimination of Title II of ESSA. Title II provides funding for recruiting; retaining; and training teachers, principals, and other school leaders. Representative David Price (D-NC) did introduce an amendment to the bill that would have restored Title II funding to $2.1 billion for FY 2018, but it was defeated 29-23. Representative Rooney (R-FL) was the only Republican who voted in favor of the amendment. Use NASSP’s action alert system to let your representatives know that you oppose this appropriations bill and support funding professional development opportunities for our nation’s educators!

The DREAM Act was once again reintroduced to offer a final answer for undocumented youth in America. Currently, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) offers protections for some undocumented youth, but leaves many undocumented individuals with no clear-cut pathway to citizenship. However, the DREAM Act would greatly expand these paths to citizenship for undocumented persons across the nation.

With September quickly approaching, many states are still working on finalizing their ESSA plans. CASEL has recently introduced a new report that examines how states and stakeholders can create their plans to promote social and emotional learning (SEL). This includes five direct examples that can greatly aid in improving SEL for students throughout the nation.

Student engagement is always one of the most important and difficult challenges that face an educator. A new report analyzes how different areas of school engage different groups of students. The report then groups the students based on the types of engagement they respond to and examines the best ways to aid and support each of these groups.